112 



Only in very dry seasons can badly drained lands be made 

 yield large crops. Since these unfortunately occur only at long in- 

 tervals, the average yields on such lands are far below their natural 

 capacity. On badly drained lands neither fertiliser nor cultivation have 

 their full effects, hence the discordant opinions which frequently prevail 

 among our planters, from the use of the same fertiliser or the same 

 method of cultivation. From the experience of this Station it is almost 

 impossible to be over- drained," provided the work of draining be in- 

 telligently performed. It is well for every planter to study his system 

 of drainage, examine his ditches, see if they be deep enough, wide 

 enough and sufficiently abundant to carry off our heaviest rainfalls and 

 retain the " bottom or ground water" at a constant depth below the 

 surface. Excellent results can be obtaiued with open ditches, provided 

 they are numerous, deep and wide. 



In the lower sugar districts these ditches should be at least as close as 

 100 to 152 feet, and deep enough to hold the bottom water at least 

 three feet below the surface. 



The expense and attention annually required for the preservation of 

 open ditches and the loss of land incident to them, together with many 

 other disadvantages would force all or our planters sooner or later to 

 adopt tile drainage, but for the great first cost, and to the absence of 

 fall in the lands by which the tiles can clean themselves. 



Irrigation. 



The Louisiana sugar planter of to-day is confronted with low prices 

 and unreliable labour, depleted soils and reduced yields, reciprocity 

 treaties and increased imports, monopolistic trusts and monied com- 

 binations, prolonged drougths and injurious rainfalls. He must therefore 

 call to his aid every means which will remove the obstacles to maximum 

 crop production. Next to drainage, irrigation is perhaps the most 

 needed factor in the problem of annual large crops. A full crop is 

 rarely obtained oftener than once in five years, and eighty per cent, of 

 the failures are assignable directly to drougths. Irrigation therefore, 

 eliminates the great element of chance from our planting operations, 

 and together with good drainage makes the planter nearly independent 

 of the freaks and idiosyncrasies of the weather. 



The results from irrigation of cane have been uniformly successful 

 and satisfactory, sufficiently so to justify the assertion that the profits of 

 irrigation were very large in tonnage and with no sacrifice of the sugar 

 content of the cane. 



In establishing irrigation ditches, the reverse of drainage ditches 

 must be observed. In the latter the line of lowest level from the levee 

 to the swamp, is found and followed, while in establishing the main 

 irrigation ditch the backbone, or line of highest elevation, is carefully 

 determined and pursued. This ditch transports the water through the 

 plantation. From this ditch on both sides water may be drawn into 

 the lateral or quarter drains, following still the lines of highest elevation. 



From these laterals, water may be drawn into the lowest parts of the 

 field. Our plan in irrigating was to fill the middles of the row nearly 

 full, permitting the water to remain all night and drawing it o£P in 

 early morning thiough the drainage ditches. By accident however, it 



